HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Senators urged Department of Corrections leadership to take advantage of federal assistance in building a new prison.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 37th Legislature heard the Department of Corrections on its proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
Acting DOC Director Joseph Carbullido started the hearing by giving a presentation that detailed a request for a $33 million budget.
The discussion then moved to senators asking about the damages the prison sustained by Typhoon Mawar. Carbullido said the prison had extensive damage – about $2 million.
“The director’s office itself is not operational right now. We actually just got internet services back today, but it’s only one side of the building. The one side, pretty much the roof was taken off, completely destroyed,” Carbullido said.
“We lost the two COVID isolation tents. … That just blew away. Two whole tents are completely gone. And I think there were other flooding and electrical issues that were sustained up at the main facility, inclusive of Hagåtña detention, but both facilities,” he added.
Sen. Joe San Agustin, the chair of the budget committee, urged Carbullido to take advantage of funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. San Agustin said the money could be used to move forward on the plan to build a new prison, approved in 2021.
“(FEMA is) here to help rebuild and harden facilities. So for you, it’s almost like this is your opportunity,” San Agustin told DOC leadership.
DOC Maj. Antone Aguon said the Department of Public Works recently put a request for proposal together for the architectural and engineering services for the new prison. Aguon said DOC awaits a legal review of the RFP to be completed by the Office of the Attorney General.
“You have the ability to get the AG … to speed up the process of building a new prison and maybe convince FEMA that if they can contribute, you can harden what was damaged, and it could be better than maybe certain parts you don’t have to reconstruct,” said San Agustin. “Let’s take advantage of this opportunity with the federal funds to get those repairs done.”
More officers
A portion of DOC’s requested budget is set to go to the hiring of 33 new corrections officers, which DOC Warden Alan Borja said would “greatly address” the ongoing issue of a shortage of officers.
Carbullido said the hiring process for prospective officers is underway, with 54 out of 77 passing the test.
“They’re vetting right now, and I’m being told that it would probably be at the end of the month (that) they will get an eligibility list, but of course, they’re going to have to allow the appeal process, which is another 10 days to happen before they give us the eligibility,” Carbullido said.
Sen. Joe San Agustin asks questions during a Department of Corrections budget hearing at the Guam Legislature on June 20, 2023, at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña.
